Utility crossover



Patented Oct. 20, 1942 UTILITY CROSSOVER Walter Thomas Comer, West Los Strohm and Robert Stanislaus Angeles, Calif., assignors to Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation, Los

Angeles, Calif., a corporation of New York Application February 21, 1940, Serial No. 320,018

2 Claims.

This invention relates to cross-overs, such as are used by public utilities, contractors, etc., when it is necessary to lay a utility line of any sort across a street, sidewalk or other places where traiiic passes.

The invention to be hereinafter described comprises a mat, or pad, composed of resilient or elastic material, such as rubber. On one side the pad is provided with a plurality of longitudinal slots which extend into the body of the pad and communicate with longitudinal passages therethrough for carrying utility lines, such as cables, pipes, hose, etc. The slot is substantially narrower than the passage and is for the purpose of allowing the utility units to be pressed through the slot and into the passage. The pads, or mats, are formed in sections adapted to be handled by one man and are arranged to be placed adjacent each other to form a cross-over of any desired extent. Since the pads are formed of rubber, or any other equivalent material, they will be noiseless and will conform to the surface of the ground and will have a tendency to stay in place regardless of the shock of passing vehicles.

In its preferred form, the pad is formed in sections about three feet square and is adapted to carry a plurality of utility units. The pads being light and llat in construction are easily handled and require a minimum of space when stored and may be used over and over with very little deterioration. The elastic material of the pads provides protection for the insulation or covering on cables, wires, or hose passing therethrough and, due to its elasticity, cables or wires may be added or removed from the pads without disturbing other units already in place. The device will nd usefulness wherever it is necessary to cross over a traie right-of-way with any type of utility line.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds in conjunction with the drawing, in which:

Figure l is a cross-sectional View of one form of a pad embodying our invention;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing another form the pad may take; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a completed cross-over set up employing our pads.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly to Figures l and 2, it will be seen that the pad, or mat, comprises a body section designated I I formed of elastic material, such as properly treated rubber. The body section may be of any size desired, but in practice it is recommended that the pads be made about three feet square.

This is for the purpose of rendering the pad easily handled, so that it may be readily put into position or stored by one man. The upper side of the pad, as shown, is flat and formed with slots I2 running longitudinally of the pad. These slots communicate with passages I3 which run parallel with the slots. The resultant construction is a series of passages I3 through the pad, formed by T shaped, upstanding members designated I4. The lower side of the pad is also flat and may be formed with small indentations I5, if desired, for the purpose of giving a better ground gripping action. The thickness of the pad will depend upon the use to which it is to be put and will be determined by the size of the unit to be carried across the street. On each edge of the pad we provide ramps I6, which are for the purpose oi giving a gradual rise from the surface of the ground to the top of the pad. As shown, each passage I3 carries a utility unit I'I. In practice, however, there may be occasions When one or more utility units may be used, which would leave some of the passages vacant, or there may be times when two or more small cables or units are placed in a single passage. In either event, the pad will Work equally as well.

In Figure 2, we have shown a reversal of the pad shown in Figure 1. In this instance the pad I I is provided with the same slots I2 and the same passages I3, but the slots I2 are on the underside of the pad, thus providing a smooth, flat surface I8 on the upper surface of the pad. The units I1 in this instance would be placed into the pad when in a reversed position and the pad then turned over. The pad is equipped with the same type of ramps I6 and is used substantially in the same manner as the pad shown in Figure l.

In Figure 3, we have shown an assembly of pads. In this view it will be observed that We have employed three pads, namely, I9, 20, and 2l. It will be observed that all the pads are formed with the slots I2 and also have the longitudinal passages I3, which are lled with the cables I1. However, in cases where the number of units is more than the capacity of one pad, we provide other types of pads which may be used in combination to form a continuous cross-over. In this view it will be noted that pad I9 is provided with the usual ramp I6 on one edge, but that it terminates in a straight side 22 on the opposite edge, and that pad 2| is identical with pad I9. Pad 20 in this case is similar to the pads I9 and 2 I, in that it carries the same slots and passages but is formed with straight sides 23 on both edges, so that it may be fitted between the pads I9 and 2|. It is obvious under this arrangement that a cross-over may be made as long as desired to carry as many units as needed, and that similar combinations of units may be laid down alongside the combination shown to increase the Width of the cross-over as desired.

We have shown several forms of our invention merely to illustrate the usefulness and versatility of our cross-over pad. However, we realize that other forms may be made embodying the inventive idea and we do not desire to limit the invention to the forms shown, except as dened by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

parallel T-shaped members,

We claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising: a pad of elastic material, said pad being formed into a, plurality of substantially parallel T shaped members on one side thereof, said T shaped members forming one surface of the pad having parallel slots therein.

2. A cross-over pad of the character described comprising a pad of elastic material, one surface of which is formed into upstanding, substantially said T-shaped members being spaced to form comparatively narrow, substantially parallel slots in said surface.

WALTER THOMAS S'I'ROHM. ROBERT STANISLAUS COMER. 

